You can pull the car seats not only in a specialized salon, but also with your own hands. In this way, you can renew worn-out seats, as well as give the interior a unique and original style. What does it take to pull the seats ourselves? It is not at all necessary to have a sewing education! Enough of your desire, patience and sewing machine... The work is not very difficult, but rather painstaking. So if you're ready, I suggest you get started!
01. MATERIALS. What do we need and how much?
Our salon will be combined of two colors - black and beige. You can of course choose any other colors you like. For the central parts of the seats, I chose beige perforated eco leather (2.5 m). For the backs of the back and pockets - beige without perforation (1.5m). And for all other details - black leather deputy (3.5m). Choose special automotive material. It is designed for large temperature fluctuations and is resistant to fading. Ordinary furniture leather is not suitable for a deputy, since it is designed for comfortable conditions in apartments. You will also need thin foam rubber - 0.5 cm thick. They will need to glue all the leather parts. I have already duplicated the black material. But for beige, it took 3 sheets of foam rubber. You will need glue, special furniture. It is usually pink in color. It can be purchased from specialized stores.
02. Sewing accessories.
Purchase special leather needles no. 90 or 100.
You will also need threads for sewing leather (ordinary threads will not work, they simply will not withstand the load). Look for threads labeled Extra Strong or for the shoe industry. You will need at least three coils of 200 meters each.
3-5 meters of adhesive interfacing - by the amount of foam rubber and perforated material.
Machine oil.
03. Material preparation
All foam rubber is glued with non-woven material using an iron. This is necessary so that the foam rubber does not crumble during operation. Also, the non-woven liner makes it easier for the foam to slide under the foot while sewing.
04. Getting Started
We remove all the trim from the seats (the seats have long been removed from the car).
05. Markup
Now, looking at the cover, everything seems clear and understandable to us. But when we cut it into parts, it can be easy to get confused as to which part is coming from. Therefore, we take a marker and number each element of the cover. For convenience, I drew a diagram of each seat and backrest on separate sheets and also numbered the details. Thus, it will be impossible to get confused.
06. Spokes
On the seamy side, you can find these "pockets" with knitting needles. These wires will come in handy for new covers. Take them out and set them aside for now. Be sure to memorize the places where these knitting needles are sewn and mark this on your paper diagram.
07. Preparation of patterns
We unpick the covers. Cut off all seam allowances. Here's what happened in the end - patterns for new covers.
08. Cutting
We transfer each detail to the leather of the deputy. In order not to confuse anything and not get the details in a mirror arrangement, we apply them to the wrong side of the material with the wrong side up. As shown in the photo.
09. Seam allowances
Add 1 cm seam allowances on all sides (where required). Do not forget to number all the details.
10. Cut out
11. We receive a set of new parts for covers
In this case, it is backseat... But in the same way we perform both the backrest and both front seats.
12. Glue
As mentioned earlier, parts from the leather of the deputy must be glued with foam rubber. I only need to work with beige. I have a black leather deputy ready for sewing. Ideally, you need to glue with a spray gun. But at home this is not always possible, so we apply the glue with a brush or rubber spatula. Practice on scraps of material as you see fit. Please note that we glue the foam rubber to the skin with the side that is not non-woven.
13. Possible problem
I have a problem with perforated eco leather. When trying to glue such parts to the foam rubber, the glue seeped through the holes. The solution was found like this - first, glue the material with non-woven material from the inside, and then glue the foam rubber to it. That is, we got such a sandwich - eco leather + non-woven + foam + non-woven.
14. Let's start sewing
When the glued parts are dry, cut out and start sewing. We start with the center pieces of the seats (or backrests). We apply markings for decorative stitches.
15. Spokes
From the seamy side, we apply the knitting needles and mark where they should be (exactly in the same place as on the old covers).
16. For sewing on knitting needles, cut strips from any fabric equal to the length of the wire. Fold in half lengthwise and sew to the seamy side of the corresponding part.
17. We lay decorative stitches on a sewing machine, after having lubricated front side oil. This is to make the machine's foot easier to move through the material.
18. Assembly of parts
Now that all the parts are ready, let's start assembling. We sew all the elements of the cover into one. Here we just need our paper scheme.
19. Sewing off all the details one by one.
20. Clothespins
These clothespins can be very useful in your work. We connect the parts with them in order to stitch them exactly on a typewriter. Do not use needles or basting, as unnecessary holes will definitely remain on the material.
24. Now we grind the left and right sides together. We process the lower and upper cuts, thread the cords and knitting needles that were in the old casing.
25. View of the cover from the wrong side. It remains to put all the knitting needles into place.
26. Continue
We sew the rest of the covers - for the front seats, headrests and back in the same way. All over again - we unpick the old casing, cut new parts, etc. I decided to change some details. For example, sew pockets into the back of the front seats. Therefore, I cut one integral part into several elements.
27. Result
After working with all the covers we have, we get a new upholstery for car seats. We pull everything into place and admire the work done. In the photo there is a salon "before" and "after".
Padding of car seats- a great way to return the aesthetic appearance, because old, worn covers in the car can ruin the whole design. This is especially necessary for the interior of light shades, the upholstery of which has lost its brightness, stained and cannot be cleaned. Fortunately, now there are many materials and tools that allow you to do the hauling yourself. This is not as difficult a procedure as it might seem at first glance, you just need to have basic technical skills and the necessary tools.
Self hauling car seats
Do-it-yourself car seat upholstery: where to start?
Every avid motorist will agree that the hauling of the cabin is important element, without which tuning of any car will not do. But, alas, this pleasure is not affordable for everyone. In order to significantly save on the services of car dealerships, this guide has been written. So, before starting work, you need to decide on the material that is most often used:
- Carpet. The most affordable and inexpensive option for chair upholstery. Usually its base is covered with decorative pile. The main advantage of this material is a wide range colors and a simple process for upholstering a car seat.
- Velours. Began to lose its relevance, since now it is not easy to purchase fabric High Quality... Many manufacturers make velor, the covers from which wear out quickly. You need to be careful.
- Alcantara. Differs in a fine-fiber base. Motorists often choose it because Alcantara is of high quality and durable, pleasant to the touch. In addition, it has a special coating that protects the covers from dirt.
- Leather or leatherette for cladding. Padding of seats with leather Despite being spectacular and durable, it has some drawbacks, including the low elasticity of the seat and the ability of the material to absorb odors.
When buying material for the upholstery of the salon, first of all, pay attention to the quality of the goods. Often the uniformity of its structure is of great importance for cutting. For example, when buying a heterogeneous Alcantara, the details of the seats and armchairs may have different shades.
Instrument preparation
The procedure for performing seat constriction made of materials of any type (leather, leatherette, velor, etc.) has a similar algorithm, so this requires the same set of the following devices:
- Sewing machine;
- Materials with soundproofing properties (if necessary);
- Wrenches and screwdrivers of different sizes;
- Glue;
- Foam rubber;
- Hair dryer;
- Scissors.
Do-it-yourself interior upholstery: preparation
1. Self-hauling of a seat and armchairs always begins with removing the old car seats. Dismantling makes it much more convenient to plan the size of Alcantara or leatherette and their location on the covers of the constriction. After that, you can sign each fragment on a standard case with a marker.
2.Using the clips on the back of the chair, remove the cover.
3. We unpick it into separate elements. This will make it easier to transfer their image to the prepared material.
We make sewing of new car covers for the car interior
4. First, press each element firmly and fix it with weights. After that, we outline the contour itself. To do-it-yourself car seat hauling was more successful and the flaps were well aligned, making small notches around the edges. The structure of each upholstery material lends itself easily to tailor scissors.
Important! If you are using fluffy Alcantara, make sure that the fluff on all parts is directed to one side. If you miss this moment, all the details will catch the eye with their differences.
Correct car seat upholstery is carried out using a spray adhesive, for example a can of Mah. It - a good option, is made in Germany and is better suited for use in the construction and repair of cars. It is unacceptable to use the glue itself with a brush, because such a tool quickly penetrates the pores, deforming the structure of the entire part. After that, it will be impossible to return her to her previous state.
6. Fragments of the cover, glued to the foam rubber, are sewn together, carefully aligning the marks on the edges.
8. Cut off the excess foam rubber flaps, so you can get more access to the upholstery material itself.
9. After that, bend the lapels to the sides, press them against the foam rubber. An important stage is the beating of the seams on the foam rubber. To do this, you can use a simple hammer.
10. Sew the cuffs with a double finishing seam. In this case, you do not need to cut off the edges that are behind the line - they will not be visible on the front side under the foam rubber.
Do-it-yourself leather upholstery: how to install
11. Turn out the made cover, straighten it out. It should be noted that it is not easy to put it on a chair: we thread the straps and pull our product to the back.
12. Next comes the seat's turn. Everything is quite simple here, only sometimes difficulties arise with the embossed seats - then you should attach the cover to the frame using special clamps. They should be pulled through the holes in the pillow and hooked onto the spoke. In this way, it will be easier to pull the cover along the contour.
The final stage
13. Do-it-yourself seat upholstery at the end, it necessarily provides for drying and steaming of the manufactured parts. New seat covers must be warmed up with a hairdryer, the main thing is not to overdo it and not to float them. After that, the surface dries up and stretches. Each seat needs to be ironed through gauze - this allows our cover to become smooth and "adjust" to their shape.
On this hauling car seats coming to an end: to complete the interior, it remains only to clean them, remove fingerprints, glue residues, etc. In order to visually assess the time it will take, as well as the degree of complexity of the armrest, armrests and car doors with your own hands, you can watch videos and photos on the Internet.
Sooner or later, the car owner begins to think: and not whether to drag the leather interior of his " iron horse"? The reason for these thoughts can be whatever. For example, the car is already old and the standard interior coating has become unusable. Or the car got into an accident and the airbags deployed in it, turning half of the dashboard... The reason is not so important, the answer to the question is important: is it possible to drag the salon on your own? Can! Let's try to figure out how to make the tight fit correctly.
The choice of material for cladding
When choosing natural leather for interior trim, you should remember a few important nuances. First of all, this material is different not only in quality, but also in physical properties.
Natural leather: characteristic
On the surface of real, untreated natural leather, there are a lot of various defects: cuts, scratches, pockmarks. Such leather is only lightly sanded and impregnated with an acrylic emulsion. Due to the impregnation, the material becomes more durable, but practically stops breathing.
There is also a second option: leather without impregnation, with a completely preserved "natural pattern" (which is called a grain). This material is not very durable. But it is very convenient and fabulously expensive. The explanation for the high price is simple: only the highest quality skins that have passed the strictest selection are used for the production of such leather. The material is not embossed or impregnated. And the resulting leather is only slightly colored with aniline dye.
The relationship between the durability of the leather and the degree of its processing can be seen on the graph.
The graph shows how resistance to dirt changes depending on the type of leather treatment
On the top line - leather without aniline impregnation (aniline unprotected). And at the very bottom is the so-called split (aka split), which is difficult to call leather. But it is very durable. Today, the above options are used less and less for interior trim.
Aniline and acrylic have been replaced by polyurethane impregnation, which makes car leather durable, resistant to temperature extremes and mechanical damage.
Eco-leather: reviews
Eco-leather is an artificial material created specifically for the decoration of car interiors. It appeared recently, but has already gained popularity among motorists. The reason is simple: in all respects, eco-leather is comparable to natural leather. And some of the characteristics of this material are even better than those of traditional leather (in particular, resistance to mechanical damage and temperature changes). It is for this reason that high-quality eco-leather, as a rule, is more expensive than natural leather.
The conclusion from all of the above is simple: the choice of material for the upholstery of the cabin depends primarily on the financial capabilities of the motorist. If he needs an excellent result, it makes sense to spend money on eco-leather once and forget about problems with the interior for many years. In cases where it is not planned to invest a lot of money in tuning the car, it is reasonable to upholster the interior with leatherette. Well, if a person is an adherent of everything natural, then you can "tighten" with ordinary skin.
The process of tightening the car interior
Before proceeding with the actual replacement of the existing coating, you should select everything you need to work. Here it should be said that the amount of leather for fitting the interior can vary from 8 to 15 square meters. How much material is required depends on the specific car model. The same rule applies to the materials used for sound insulation (in our example, it will be foam rubber).
Tools and supplies
To carry out the work you will need:
- leather;
- foam rubber;
- stapler;
- saw-hacksaw;
- drill with a set of drills;
- threads;
- universal glue;
- sewing machine;
- Phillips screwdriver;
- flat-blade screwdriver;
- marker;
- pattern paper;
- sandpaper;
- plywood;
- hair dryer for construction;
- masking tape.
The sequence of actions for hauling the salon with your own hands
Before proceeding to work, it should be noted that the process under consideration consists of three stages. This is the pulling of doors, seats and the ceiling of a passenger car.
Covering doors: instructions and photos
Do the work in this order:
- Using a damp cloth, the door trim is cleaned of dust and dirt. Then it is removed with a Phillips screwdriver.
- The removed trim is pasted over with masking tape, all protruding parts (except for the handle) are outlined in black marker.
- Next, the tape is carefully peeled off. Holes are cut in it in accordance with the previously drawn lines. It turns out a kind of stencil or pattern.
- This stencil is superimposed on a sheet of plywood and outlined with the same black marker.
- The resulting shape is cut out with an ordinary hacksaw, the edges of the plywood are carefully leveled and sanded with coarse sandpaper.
- With the help of a plywood-shaped drill, holes are made for the window regulator handles.
- Now a layer of foam rubber is applied to a sheet of plywood, followed by leather (moreover, the leather must be cut so that there is a margin of at least 2 centimeters along the edge).
- The above stock of leather is wrapped and stapled on the back of the plywood mold.
- Then, holes are carefully cut into the skin with a knife for the door handle and for the window regulator handle.
- The resulting leather cover is carefully removed from the plywood blank.
- The cover is pulled over the previously removed door trim, the edges of the cover are manually stitched from the back.
- Similar actions are performed with other car door panels.
How to cover the headliner
Sheathing the ceiling of a car is a little more difficult. However, if you do everything carefully, the result will please you. To do this, simply follow the algorithm below:
- The ceiling panel is unscrewed with a Phillips screwdriver and removed. With a knife, the standard coating is cut off from it, then the panel is cleaned of dirt and glue residues.
- After initial cleaning, the ceiling panel is sanded with fine emery paper.
- The panel is superimposed on the skin, outlined with a marker. A piece of the required size is cut out of the skin (when cutting out a piece, you must leave a stock of at least 2 centimeters of material on each side).
- The universal adhesive is applied to the middle of the sanded panel. Then the skin is applied to it and fixed.
- A bead of all-round adhesive is now applied to the edges of the ceiling panel.
- The skin is gently straightened from the center to the edges and glued to them (for this it is enough just to press down hard).
- The remaining stock of leather is tucked over the edge of the panel and glued on the back. Holes are cut in the leather with a knife for the fastening bolts.
- The panel covered with leather is mounted on a regular place.
Car seat upholstery technology
More experienced craftsmen will be able to alter the seat covers. If this is your first time starting such work, carefully follow the sequence of actions given below:
- The seat is unscrewed and removed from the passenger compartment.
- The old cover is carefully cut off from it. Moreover, the cover must be cut strictly at the seams (it is best to do this with a thin clerical knife).
- The resulting fragments of the old cover will serve as a pattern. They are applied to the skin and outlined with a marker. Then, fragments of a new cover are cut out of the skin (moreover, each fragment is cut with a mandatory margin of 2 centimeters around the entire perimeter - this is necessary for stitching the sections).
- The resulting pieces of leather are glued onto the foam rubber. After the glue dries, the foam rubber is trimmed along the edges of the skin. Now the elements of the leather case are lined with foam.
- The lined leather pieces are sewn together with sewing machine.
- The resulting cover is put on the seat, the resulting folds of skin are slightly warmed up with a building hairdryer and smoothed by hand.
- The overturned seat is installed back into the passenger compartment.
Video: we tighten the seat with leather
The cost of an upholstery in a tuning studio
It is very difficult to say how much it will cost to stretch the cabin, since several factors affect the cost at once.
- car category;
- material price;
- the number of dragged elements.
The last point affects the cost of work especially strongly, since not all car owners are trying to completely renew the interior. Someone is limited only to the seats. Others are overtightening the seats and the ceiling, etc. The estimated cost of overhauling individual elements is given below.
Table: how much does it cost to drag the interior elements with leather
From this table, it becomes clear that the price of a leather interior for an ordinary passenger car can vary from 60 thousand rubles and more. Padding the interior with high-quality eco-leather costs about the same.
Even a novice car enthusiast can pull the interior of his car with leather. All that is needed for this is patience and the ability to use a sewing machine. If the car owner does not have such a skill, you should not be upset. You just need to practice a little on regular fabric before sewing leather.
If there is a desire to drag the car seats, then it is not necessary to go to a specialized salon, the problem can be solved with your own hands. In this way, you can update the appearance of the cabin, give it an original style and remove the worn seats. To perform this work, it is not necessary to have a sewing education, it is enough to have a sufficient amount of patience and desire. The work of changing the skin is not difficult, but at the same time it is quite painstaking.
Materials and tools:
- Perforated eco-leather (used in beige) 2.5 m
- Eco leather without perforation (used in beige) 1.5 m
- Artificial leather (used in black) 3.5 m
Note: you should choose special leather for the car, it is designed for temperature changes, and is also resistant to fading. Furniture leatherette is not suitable due to the fact that it is not adapted to the conditions of the car, but only suits the apartment conditions.
- Foam rubber thin thickness 0.5 cm (for gluing leather parts)
- Furniture glue
- Sewing machine
- Leather needles no. 90 or 100
- Threads for sewing leather (ordinary threads are not suitable, they are suitable with the Extra Strong mark or for shoes) three 200-meter spools
- Adhesive non-woven material 3-5 m
- Machine oil
Step one. Material preparation.
All available foam rubber was glued with non-woven using an iron. This procedure is required in order for the foam rubber to withstand the load on it during operation and not crumble. An additional benefit of the non-woven fabric is the ease of sliding of the foam rubber when sewing.
Step two. Seat preparation.
For convenience, the seats are removed from the vehicle. Next, you need to remove all the old skin.
Step three. Markup.
At first glance, looking at the cover, everything seems pretty clear. But when the old case is cut into details, it will be very easy to get confused. Therefore, the author, armed with a marker, numbers each part of the cover. To remember which number corresponds to which, the author drew a diagram of each seat with backs on a piece of paper, and numbered the details of the cover. Using the numbering on the trim parts, it will be impossible to get confused now.
Step four. Knitting needles.
On the inside of the cover there are pockets with knitting needles. Since they will be needed for the updated wrap, they had to be pulled out and set aside for now. The location of the spokes was also marked on the paper diagram.
Step five. Pattern preparation.
After all the preparations, the covers can be ripped, the seam allowances are cut off. This is how the patterns for the new sheathing look.
Step six. Open it.
Every detail was transferred to leatherette. In order not to get the details in a mirror image, they are applied to the wrong side of the material with the wrong side up.
Step seven. Seam allowances.
On all the necessary sides, the author made allowances for seams of 1 cm in size. All parts are also numbered.
Step eight. Tenderloin.
All prepared parts of the cover are checked again, after which they are cut out.
Step eight. A set of parts.
Thus, the author received a complete set of parts for the covers. In the photo, you can see the back seat, the back and front seats are made in the same way.
Step nine. Glue.
As mentioned at the beginning of the article, leather parts require gluing with foam rubber. The author needed to do this work only with beige, since black leather was already glued upon purchase. The glue was applied with a rubber spatula and a brush. Before the main gluing, the author practiced on the scraps.
Step ten. Features of gluing and knitting needles.
When gluing perforated eco-leather with foam rubber, the glue began to seep into the holes. Therefore, the author decided to glue the wrong side first with interlining, and then glue the foam rubber to it. The general picture looked like this: leather, non-woven on it, foam rubber on top of it, and then non-woven again.
After the parts were dry, you could start cutting them out and start sewing. Starting with the central parts, they laid out the lines for the stitches.
Knitting needles were attached from the inside out, and their future location was marked by referring to the drawn diagram. For the knitting needles, stripes were cut from the fabric of long knitting needles. Having folded the fabric along the knitting needle, sewed the necessary parts to the wrong side.
Step eleven. Lines.
The decorative stitches were made with a sewing machine, while the front side of the material was oiled to better advance the foot over it.
Step twelve. Assembly of parts.
When all the parts were ready, it was time to start assembling. All the elements of the cover were sewn into one, referring to the drawn diagram. All the details were ground down one by one.
Step thirteen. Clothespins.
Clothespins can be very helpful in working with a sewing machine. The author has connected parts with them for even sewing, their advantage is that they do not leave marks on the material.
Step fourteen. Appearance.
After the sewing machine, you need to cut off the excess foam.
Padding of car seats is a procedure that can be entrusted to a specialized salon, or you can do it yourself. You will make the interior of your car original and unique. The constriction process is quite painstaking, but the result obtained is worth the time and effort spent.
Do-it-yourself seat upholstery begins with the selection of material. Usually leather, suede, velor, flock and so on are used for these purposes. It is advisable to select the color and shade to match the interior upholstery. The easiest option is to make a constriction from a material of the same color. The use of inserts of a different color will give the interior of your car originality.
It is worth considering that it is necessary to choose a material that is designed for temperature extremes and is not subject to fading. The most budgetary finishing materials are velor and alcantara. They are distinguished by good performance and are popular with motorists.
The most expensive material for car seat upholstery is leather. Leather upholstered seats look elegant, but remember that in hot weather they are uncomfortable. The problem is solved by using an air conditioner in the car.
In the work on hauling a car seat, you will need: needles, strong threads for sewing (Exstra Strong or for shoes), glue interlining (3-5 m), foam rubber, a marker, scissors, a sewing machine and glue.
Preparation for hauling
Working on the hauling requires perseverance, patience and following the recommendations.
Before starting to upgrade the seats, it is necessary to carry out preparatory work:
- dismantle the seats, which are fixed with four bolts. Before doing this, disconnect the battery terminal and the wiring terminals.
- remove all fragments of old covers, sign them. In addition, it is better to write the name of the material that will be replaced in this place.
- remove the standard cover from the seat, first bend the metal clips from the back.
cut the cover at the seams, it will be used to cut a new one. - calculate the material. Measure each part of the old cover. Make a pattern, leaving a margin of at least a few centimeters around the edges.
Reinforcement technology
Put a pattern from an old cover on the selected material and fix it. This will allow the pattern and material to remain stationary while tracing and cutting. Also, be sure to leave a 2–3 cm margin from the outlined edges.
If you have chosen Alcantara for sewing covers, it is worth remembering that this material is fleecy, so you need to make sure that the pile is in one direction. You can strengthen the selected material with foam rubber on a fabric basis. The foam itself is connected to the fabric with glue, which is best sprayed with a spray can.
On next step the flaps are sutured. The edges of all elements are sewn neatly with a sewing machine. Then you should cut off all unnecessary strips of foam rubber. All seams must be glued to each other from the wrong side. After the glue is dry, beat off all the cuffs with a hammer and double stitch.
The straps must be threaded before installing the new cover on the car seat. Then turn the product out and pull it first on the back, and then on sitting place... Using plastic clamps, which are threaded through special holes, pull the cover to the base of the seat and fix it by the spoke. Pull the edges of the new trim evenly over the seat.
If leather was used as upholstery, after stretching the seat cover, it must be warmed up with a stream of hot air. A hairdryer is good for this, but don't overdo it.
On final stage the covers of the overtightened seats must be steamed with an iron (through the fabric). The technology is simple.
Benefits of a tailoring in a tailor shop
If there is an urgent need to upgrade car seats and allow funds, it is better to pull the covers in the atelier. The main advantage of upholstering car seats in a sewing workshop is that the service is performed by experienced professionals.
In addition, the workshop will offer you proven material and help you make the right choice. Also, a guarantee will be provided for the service. If necessary, the order can be completed in a short time.
Video "Do-it-yourself salon uplift"
From this video you will learn how to properly pull the salon with your own hands.
